Community EMS today announced its expansion into Illinois through a joint venture with Edward Hospital & Health Services, based in Naperville, Ill. The new entity, Edward Ambulance Services, will launch this fall and create 30 new healthcare jobs in the region.

“Hospitals across the country are looking for effective, high-quality ways to improve care and build revenue,” said Community EMS CEO Greg Beauchemin. “We’re growing because our unique joint venture model, supported by a suite of management and education services, successfully addresses two primary healthcare issues: cost and care.”

Edward Ambulance Services will provide non-emergency and non-911 medical transportation between area rehabilitation and skilled nursing centers, assisted living residences and hospice locations. Four new ambulances, featuring the latest technology and equipment, will be capable of moving people requiring critical attention, advanced life support or basic support.

“Our focus is patient treatment and satisfaction,” said Bill Kottman, president of Edward Health Ventures. “By partnering with Community EMS, we’re not just improving efficiencies, we’re insuring patients receive the same Edward experience throughout their care.”

Additionally, Community EMS subsidiary Parastar, Inc., a global emergency and medical services consulting company, will manage the new joint venture. Jamey Baker, executive vice president at Community EMS, is the joint venture’s CEO.

About Community EMS

Community EMS is a not-for-profit corporation formed by Botsford Health Care in 1982 to provide high-quality, courteous, prompt and cost-effective medical transportation. Based in Southfield, Mich., Community EMS has more than 350 employees and operates joint ventures with hospitals in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. In 1987, Community EMS formed Life Support Training Institute to provide employee training. Today, LSTI is a leader in pre-hospital training and education. Community EMS launched Parastar in 1990 as a consulting company specializing in EMS logistic management and outsourced management contracts. Learn more at communityems.org.

About Us

In 1996 after nearly a decade of doing billing services for EMS/public safety providers in southeast Michigan, Parastar began forming management alliances with health care systems in mid-Michigan and Ohio with an array of consulting services designed to improve EMS and medical transport operations.